Resources for Young People & Families
We have collated together lots of activities, resources and information for young people and families.
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Exercise can be challenging and this bingo activity aims to make exercise short and enjoyable.
We would like to remind everyone that Buckinghamshire Family Information Service had a wide range of activities for families during this period.
These maybe some activities that you want to try over the summer holiday.
Visit: Things to do at home
With us going to be able to go out more often, why not become a tree explorer with this activity pack.
Have a go at these A-Z ideas for wellbeing after lockdown.
Little Chapters of Chill are podcasts that aim to soothe and inspire young minds. The stories are designed to match little ones’ attentions spans lasting 8-12 minutes. You can access five fun adventures with a mindfulness exercise included in each story. This can help calm the mind and reduce stress.
Have a go at making a paper windmill.
Download: How To Make A Paper Windmill
If you would like to give yoga a try, you can start with these beginner steps.
Some ideas of things that you can do outside.
Make easy cloud dough with a few simple ingredients.
It can be challenging to know what to do with the free time you may have during this period.
If you are stuck for ideas why don’t you let the wheel decide wheeldecide.com
Try making rockets out of kitchen roll tubes.
Download: Kitchen Roll Rockets
Try making monkey faces with paper plates.
Download: Monkey Faces Craft Activity
PDSA have a downloadable activity pack full of different activities that may enjoy.
In this hot weather, it may be a nice idea to make healthy ice lolly using this simple recipe.
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If you fancy making a fun pizza with only a few ingredients try this recipe!
Visit: Octopus Pizza Recipe
If you enjoy reading any of the David Walliam’s books, here are some free downloadable activities to keep boredom at bay.
Have a go at creating this cardboard tube construction toy.
Download: DIY Cardboard Tube Construction Toy
Coping with the news and staying mentally healthy during self isolation can be a challenge. We are all still adapting to working or studying from home, as well as trying to keep yourself and your family safe.
Try this Wellbeing Activity Calendar to help the whole family take five minutes a day to do an activity that will boost wellbeing and look after your mental health.
Play these wellbeing games of silly stories and charades. This can be a fun way to keep everyone’s mind off the current situation.
Download: Wellbeing Games
Mindfulness colouring is a relaxing and calming activity which allows you to explore creativity.
Download: Mindfulness Colouring Sheets
You can try any of these activities in the Mindful Monster pack to help with your own mindfulness, some of them require a lot of concentration!
Download: Mindful Monsters
It is always important to be kind to ourselves.
Have a go at the 5 Day Kind To Yourself Challenge.
Have a go at these I spy activity sheets.
Download: I Spy Activity Sheets
NHS Change4life have loads of great indoor children’s activities and games for children to play so they can still get the activity they need even when they cannot get outside.
Get started with these easy-to-follow games inspired by Disney characters.
Have a go at making a yummy fruit salad.
Download: Simple Fruit Salad Recipe
Have a go and follow these 6 steps to bake some scrumptious cupcakes.
Visit: Fairy cakes
Have a go at learning a new language for free with Duolingo.
Visit: Duolingo
Have a go at these farm animals dot-to-dot activities.
Download: Farm Animals Dot-To-Dot
Have a go at making toilet roll stamps.
Download: How To Make Toilet Roll Stamps
Have a go at the activities you can do in the garden.
How to create a bee and butterfly puddle: Fill a bowl with marbles, sand or pebbles and saturate it with water until it puddles. The marbles/sand/pebbles provide bees and butterflies a safe place to land so they can drink without drowning.
Have a go at this 5 senses scavenger hunt and see if you can find something for each of our senses; smell, hear, taste, see and touch.
Have a go at junk modelling and see what you can create!
This is a great way to exercise creativity, inventiveness and problem solving.
Download: Junk Modelling
Have a go at this rainbow scavenger hunt and see if you can find something for each colour of a rainbow.
Thank you to Emma from Lockdown Free Colouring Pages for creating these Carers Bucks, Young Adult Carers and Young Carers colouring sheets
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Relieve stress by colouring these doodle-style drawings of flowers and animals.
Download: Doodle Spirals
Online free counselling service for children and young people aged between 11 – 18 years old. Visit www.kooth.com
Read the instructions on how to sign up to Kooth.
We are currently making history.
Have a go at making a time capsule that you can store away and look at in years to come.
Download: My 2020 COVID-19 Time Capsule
Have a go at making animals out of toilet roll tubes.
Have a go at these child friendly science experiments with science-sparks.com
Have a go at making lollipop stick flowers. (Click image to enlarge it.)
It is normal for everyone to feel a range of moods during this period. Why not have a go at a mood tracker mandala.
Give each emotion a colour. Track your mood each day by filling in a petal with the colour of the emotion you’re feeling.
Visit: Mood Tracker Mandala
Fancy try non-screen time activities? Check out these 25 non-screen time activities.
We are all showing great support for our key workers and nhs staff by putting rainbows in our windows.
Have a go at making a different style of rainbow with this fun science based activity.
(Click on image to enlarge it.)
Did you know you can re-grow your own vegetables using the scraps?
Gardening Soul have put together a list of 20 vegetables you can re-grow using scraps and instructions on how to do this.
This activity will get your brain thinking. See if you can complete the Name 5 Things Challenge.
Download: Name 5 Things Challenge Cards
Design a worry monster to share all your worries with.
Download: Design A Worry Monster
Remember are support workers are available if you would like to share your worries.
With the weather warming up, why don’t you try our treasure hunt in your garden or when you are going out for exercise.
Download: Treasure Hunt
During lockdown it can be very challenging juggling caring, parenting, schooling, and for many alongside everything else, working! It isn’t an easy task to spend the quality time we would like to have with all our family members, and often our children are having to amuse themselves for a while.
Happy Jars are a fun way to get the family thinking about positive things that have made them happy or things they are grateful for during these difficult times. They don’t take long to make, it is something you can do together. At the end of the day putting your happy thoughts into your jar can become part of your bedtime routine, promoting smiles and laughter before heading off to the land of nod. Or maybe something to do and discuss at the dinner table.
Download: Happy Days Jar
Help create the Barnado’s rainbow by sending your hand print to stacey.harrison@barnados.org.uk.
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The Young Carers Development Trust have been doing weekly webinars for young adult carers since the start of coronavirus.
If you have missed any of these, please find the webinars by visiting ycdt.org.uk
nhsgo.uk is a confidential health service for 16-25 year olds which looks into a variety of topics such as mental health, general health and sleep.
The NHS website has lots of useful information and advice for young carers, from talking to people if you have worries or writing down your thoughts, to your social life and support in schools.
It can be challenging to know what to do with the free time you may have during this period.
If you are stuck for ideas why don’t you let the wheel decide wheeldecide.com
BBC Bitsize has 5 top tips on how to tackle loneliness when we are social distancing.
If you are thinking about starting work soon, this may help you identify what skills are needed for success and how as a young adult carer you can demonstrate these skills in everyday life and from your caring roll.
Future Learn has lots of free online courses across a variety of topics and subjects, from top universities and specialist organisations.
- Business & Management
- Creative Arts & Media
- Nature & Environment
- Politics & Society
- Literature
- Healthcare & Medicine
- Science, Engineering & Maths
- Law
- History
- IT & Computer
- Science
- Teaching
- Language
- Study Skills
- Psychology & Mental Health
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For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Mental Health Foundation have chosen the theme: Kindness.
They have come up with some great ideas on how you can show kindness to others.
Mental Health Foundation have really useful tips on their website on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Visit: How to look after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak
Young Minds is a great website to help you with any mental health issues that you may come across.
If you would like to talk to someone about something specific, Young Minds have put together a list of useful organisations that will be able to help and who are there to listen and have a chat with.
Coping with the news and staying mentally healthy during self isolation can be a challenge. We are all still adapting to working or studying from home, as well as trying to keep yourself and your family safe.
Try this Wellbeing Activity Calendar to help the whole family take five minutes a day to do an activity that will boost wellbeing and look after your mental health.
Mindfulness colouring is a relaxing and calming activity which allows you to explore creativity.
Download: Mindfulness Colouring Sheets
With everything going on it can be challenging to ensure you are getting enough sleep.
Have a look at these top 10 tips for a better night’s sleep.
The skills toolkit is a new online learning platform launched by the Government. It gives you access to free, high quality digital and numeracy courses, to help you build up your skills, progress in work and boost your job prospects (while we’re staying at home). Digital skills can be anything from using social media and staying safe online to coding, programming or digital marketing.
There’s something for everyone, no matter what level you want to start at. Whether you just need a refresher or you want to learn something entirely new, you can choose from introductory courses, intermediate or advanced.
Visit: The Skills Toolkit
Have a go at learning a new language for free with Duolingo.
Visit: Duolingo
Have a go at painting these designs by numbers.
Download: Paint By Numbers
Online free counselling service for children and young people aged between 11 – 18 years old. Visit www.kooth.com
Read the instructions on how to sign up to Kooth.
Relieve stress by colouring these doodle-style drawings of flowers and animals.
Download: Doodle Spirals
Whilst schools are closed, Audible have made a variety of stories free for children to instantly stream for free, ‘including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.’
All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.
Take a look at what stories are available and get listening!
Have a go at these mindfulness origami creations by Mindful Origami:
Young Minds is the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health.
They have an advice page if you are struggling with self-isolation, coronavirus, and the impact it has on your mental health.
Telephone Number: 020 7089 5050
Parent Helpline: 0808 802 5544 (Mon – Fri, 9:30am – 4pm)
Urgent Help: Text YM to 85258
Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters campaign has put together 12 tips to help your mental wellbeing whilst at home.
The Happy Broadcast Instagram account is a great way to stay up-to-date with news but looks at the positivity in each story.
You can stay active by doing these free yoga classes.
It can be good to think about things that are causing you stress and how you can manage these.
This activity can assist you to work out the things you can change, the things that are beyond your control and give you an insight into what can make a difference.
Download: Stress Container Exercise
Caring Together is a network partner of Carers Trust and provides more services and more help for family carers and their families across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Norfolk.
Caring Together is doing a range of work to help them, and others, understand the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) carers of all ages. One of the ways they are doing this is creating a survey.
By taking part you can also choose to be entered in their prize draw.
Now could be a great time to learn a new skill!
The Open University are offering a range of free online courses at varying levels.
There are a range of skills in a variety of categories:
- Health, Sports and Psychology
- Education and Development
- History and The Arts
- Languages
- Money and Business
- Nature and Environment
- Science, Maths and Technology
- Society, Politics and Law
Future Learn has put together a list of 50 things that you can do in lockdown from the comfort of your own home!
Check out Young Minds’ tips on coping with OCD during this coronavirus pandemic.
We would like to let our young adult carers know that the following is available through Oxford Mindfulness Centre.
Oxford Mindfulness Centre are offering weekly online mindfulness sessions, open to those who feel they would benefit. These sessions are completely free and open to the general public, meaning you do not need prior mindfulness experience or practice to take part.
The sessions are once a week, lead by a fully trained Mindfulness Teacher and are based around a relevant theme/topic to be communicated in advance. The sessions will include guided mindfulness practices, teacher talk, and discussions and questions around the weekly topic.
Each session will also be available as a free podcast shortly after for anyone who missed the live session or wishes to practice again.
Buckinghamshire Council have an exciting new opportunity!
In partnership with colleagues from Health, FACT Bucks and SEND IAS, they will be running FREE training sessions to support families caring for or professionals working with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
All the specialist trainers have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with you.
The training is open to professionals from across the Local Authority, health colleagues, schools and parents/carers who are supporting children and young people with SEND.
Courses include:
- ‘Ordinarily Available Provision’: 04/02/2021
- ‘The EHCP Process’: 01/03/2021
- ‘Seeing Beyond Behaviour’: 01/02/2021
- ‘Environmental Accessibility’: 25/02/2021
- ‘A Day in the Life of a Parent of a Child or Young Person with SEND’: 25/03/2021
Please see the Eventbrite links above (click on the dates for each course which are hyperlinked) for more information and to book a place.
Sessions will be face-to-face unless Government guidance advises otherwise.
From Autumn 2020 disadvantaged students will be offered small group tuition to help them catch up.
Tuition providers will work directly with schools or within schools.
Schools will identify their own eligibility criteria for students to receive tuition. It’s likely to be aimed at students who receive pupil premium. However, it is recommended that you approach your school about the programme.
Visit: National Tutoring Programme
The NHS website has lots of useful information and advice for young carers, from talking to people if you have worries or writing down your thoughts, to your social life and support in schools.
If your child is feeling bored, lonely, sad or scared in lockdown, doing a fun activity to distract them from their difficult feelings can really help. Make sure all the activities follow the Golden Rule: “What I choose doesn’t hurt me or anyone else.” After they’ve finished, you can ask them: “Did that help you to feel better?”
Download: Distraction Activities
Your child may be worrying about a lot of things right now. Health, school, friends, family and more. They might ask you about their worries.
A Worry Jar is a place for your child to put their worries so they don’t have to think about them all the time.
Find out more about the Worry Jar and how it works: Worry Jar Instructions
If you need some extra academic materials to complete whilst you are at home, we would highly recommend using www.thenational.academy
We have found that this website is clearly structured for children. There are three lessons each day – Maths, English and Foundation (other subjects such as history and geography etc.)
They have information on talking to your child about coronavirus and Ten tips from Young Mind’s Parent Helpline to support family wellbeing.
Telephone Number: 020 7089 5050
Parent Helpline: 0808 802 5544 (Mon – Fri, 9:30am – 4pm)
Urgent Help: Text YM to 85258
Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters campaign has put together 10 tips to help your mental wellbeing whilst at home.
Buckinghamshire Family Information Services has lots of additional information available on their website for all family members. We would highly recommend having a look at the following sections:
